Review Detail

If I had to choose one book to represent who I am, it would be Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. Old crumbling mansions by the seaside, an Ouija board scene, classic movie references--and I felt so close to the main character. She was seriously just a blonde version of myself. She spends all her free time reading, wears vintage clothing, and spends time in their old home's attic, exploring and finding hidden treasures. (My house doesn't have an attic but I wish it did. But maybe you gathered that from my blog's title.) But not only do our main character and I enjoy doing similar activities, but our personalities were the same and everything else, with the exception that she likes coffee and I only drink tea.

I've seen mixed feelings toward this novel, but I thought it was very well written. The imagery was absolutely wonderful. As I progressed through it's pages, I could almost feel the chill from the ocean seeping into me as the story grew darker and darker. I really wanted to live in the ambiance that the narrative created. And I think the characters were just as well developed. I've already stated how much I love the main character, but her brother, her friend Sunshine, and River especially, all had layers to them. And moving onto River--where do I start. I was feeling everything that Violet was feeling when she was feeling it. I assumed that River was the "Devil" that was being referenced in the title, but when he showed up with his vintage suitcases, I didn't care. And neither did Violet.

When it came to the plot, I didn't really know what to expect. I gave up trying to guess because I knew I wouldn't be able to get it right. But what I loved so much about the story was how everything came together. Half way through the novel, there were so many side stories and comments being thrown around that not only did I forget some of them, the rest I thought were just background information. Until they came into play later on. And the ending. I should have been able to predict some of it, but like I said, I thought some of it wasn't important. The ending was super creepy and very well written. Let's just say that someone shows up who might just be the Devil himself, he was so evil. And the explanation for why, I thought was plausible, which doesn't always happen when it comes to villains. They all have reasons for their actions and flaws just like everyone else.

Overall, I really enjoyed Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea. I don't think it's for everyone (my mom was kind of creeped out that I enjoyed it as much as I did), but I am a sucker for gothic ambiance and creeptastic villains. I am really looking forward to book two and I really hope it retains the same feeling that Between did.